Industry stormwater and wastewater re-use study
A four-year intensive investigation being conducted as a Ph.D. research project. The study, initiated in 1995, has investigated opportunities for retrofitting improved water management practices into a large aluminium smelter operated by Portland Smelter Services Pty. Ltd. Prior to the study, the company had identified a need for a comprehensive water management strategy for the site. The investigative procedure included :
- an Initial Water Use Assessment, leading to a full site water balance
- an assessment of the potential for collection and use of surface runoff in a cooling pond
- an investigation of process efficiencies and strategies for water conservation and re-use
- development of a Water Management Plan, comprising the most workable combination of options and alternatives investigated during the period of the Study
Recommendations have been made on how to best meet water demand needs, given the quality and quantity of supplies, including stormwater, and demand expectations, the attributes of the site and environmental concerns. The study has shown that conservation-oriented water management practices have the potential to reduce present mains water use at the plant from 1.5 ML per day to less than 0.3 ML per day. Considerable opportunities exist to provide improved, cost-effective water management for existing industrial operations.
The project has been completed and the Ph.D. thesis is presently being examined. One of the external examiners is Professor Takashi Asano, University of California (Davis Campus), a leading figure in the field of water use/re-use efficiency. Professor Asano expressed considerable interest in the project because the problem of retrofitting improved water management into existing plant of such size has not been previously reported.